By its strictest definition of bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the East Coast is comprised of 14 states running from Maine in the North to Florida in the South, although some analyses include Vermont and Pennsylvania because of their proximity to the ocean and their cultural connections to the Eastern Seaboard states they border.
The area is loosely divided into three regions: New England in the Northeast, the Southeastern states and the Mid-Atlantic in between.
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Each region and state is home to a diverse population with equally varied average — and above-average — incomes. The East Coast is home to some of the world’s richest wealth centers and some of America’s poorest communities. Because of this, “upper class” can have a much different meaning depending on where you go.
Here’s a look at what it takes to be upper class on the East Coast.
Income, Class and Local Variations
The term “upper class” is not limited to wealth and income. According to Merriam-Webster, the phrase also connotes intangible attributes such as status, power and influence. However, money is often the source or a side effect of all three.
GOBankingRates used the Pew Research Center’s income calculator to determine the minimum salary needed to be upper class on the East Coast and the dollar amount varies considerably from one state to another. However, those variations are often far more hyper-local. For example, wealthy people living in parts of New York’s Upstate region might barely be considered middle class a few miles away in Manhattan.
Pew defines the upper class as those who earn more before taxes than the farthest salary range of a given state’s upper-middle class. It estimates that 19% of the U.S. population is in the upper class. Here’s how it breaks down by state and region for an individual earner on the East Coast, ranked from the northernmost to the southernmost state.
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New England
- Maine: $99,000
- New Hampshire: $106,000
- Massachusetts: $108,000
- Rhode Island: $103,000
- Connecticut: $105,000
- Regional average: $104,200
Mid-Atlantic
- New York: $106,000
- New Jersey: $107,000
- Delaware: $97,000
- Maryland: $103,000
- Virginia: $101,000
- Regional average: $102,800
Southeastern
- North Carolina: $93,000
- South Carolina: $92,000
- Georgia: $94,000
- Florida: $100,000
- Regional average: $94,750
The average of the three regional averages is $100,583. That’s the minimum salary needed to be considered upper class on the East Coast. However, stark regional income differences and wealth disparity can make that number feel much bigger or much smaller depending on where you go.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Minimum Salary Required To Be Upper Class on the East Coast
